If you or someone you love is suffering from depression, you are not alone. Beyond Blue (www.beyondblue.org.au) has been set up as a national initiative in Australia to help educate the public about depression. The site is full of information, including some helpful downloadable .pdf files that you can print out or forward on to others by email. These resources are available at:

http://www.beyondblue.org.au/index.aspx?link_id=7.980

If you live in Christchurch and are looking for in-person counselling for depression, contact us to see how we can help. If you are outside of Christchurch and you want depression counselling by telephone, email or online chat, please use our contact form to tell us about your needs.

You are not alone!

If you have found yourself down over the colder months and you weren’t sure why, you might want to ask your health care provider about Season Affective Disorder (SAD). While some people can get this mood shift at the change of any season, it is most common to feel depressed during the cold and cloudy winters.

One of the ways to deal with SAD is to have light therapy, which can involve sitting in front of sun lamps, but most simply involves getting out in the sun for awhile (but remember to wear your sunscreen). I was thinking of seasonal affective disorder the other day, as I walked through Hagley Park in Christchurch. I took some photos of the rose garden (two of which you can see on this post), as I walked through the park, thinking to myself what a beautiful city we in Christchurch call home.

If you are experiencing mood shifts that you cannot deal with or that are decreasing your quality of life, please contact us to see how we can help you.

Here’s to a rekindled passion for living!

Jerry